D&D 5E Let us stat up Conan the *insert sub-title here*

[TheCosmicKid]

They statted him in ad&d. He was a fighter thief or champion thief in 5E. With great ability scores.

The barbarian class did not exist in core AD&D, so unless these stats came in a context where the barbarian was presumptively legal, it doesn't really mean anything.

 

[Yardiff]

Conan was first stat'd by Gygax in Dragon Magzine #36. The barbarian class was first introduced by Gygax in 1982 in the Dragon Magazine #63. Barbarian as an official class option was introduced in Unearth Arcana in 1985.

 

[Yardiff]

I agree that 'at some point' the PCs should be able to compare with the old heroes, where that point is should be very high level (at least in my opinion).

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I agree that 'at some point' the PCs should be able to compare with the old heroes, where that point is should be very high level (at least in my opinion).

Sounds fair.

You can make him high enough level to make sure they won't surpass him too early.

Barbarian level 9, champion fighter 11 seems not to be a totally bad idea.
Fighting style defensive. And maybe medium armor mastery as feat could make sure he stays better in armor than without.
So his final stats may be:
Str 20 (2 increases)
Dex 16 (1 increase)
Con 16 (1 increase)
Int 10
Wis 12
Cha 13
Medium armor master.

AC 16 umarmored, AC up to 19 depending on armor.

 

[Luciandevine]

Whenever I think of characters like this, I always think of the Legend class, as per Quintessential Fighter.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Everyone is maxing out his Str, but I think he started off with higher Con that Str (and maybe spent his ASIs on Str later). Even as a young thug his 'durability' was the standout characteristic.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Oh hey this thread again. I still think the 5e Barbarian class can be used to build a great Conan type character, but now I think the UA Scout Fighter pretty much does the best job of it.

it gets a bunch of attacks, wilderness know-how, good incentive to not wear heavy armor, and can add superiority dice to Athletics, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks. You could cover 90-95 percent of the stunts Conan pulls with those abilities.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

I've read the Howard Conan stories, course its at least 20 yrs since I last reread them. I only vaguely remember Conan going into a rage at all, so it doesnt seem to be something he did all that often (at least to me). While I agree the first barbarian classes in D&D were in part based on Conan, the berserker feature was not (of course this is just my opinion).

Read Conan and you find that rage is a very uncommon item for him. Most of the time when faced with heavy odds Conan doe what is best tactically. He will put his back to a wall if he can and if he cannot he dives among them to cause chaos and in the hopes that they will interfere with each other. Once either of these happens the fights are described as Conan grimly fighting on his main goal being to take down as many of his foes as he can before he falls. The end result almost always being him outlasting his foes or something interceding and giving Conan a chance to survive. Also in very non-rage like manner Conan has no problem retreating if he is able to cut himself a path with which to escape.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Read Conan and you find that rage is a very uncommon item for him. Most of the time when faced with heavy odds Conan doe what is best tactically. He will put his back to a wall if he can and if he cannot he dives among them to cause chaos and in the hopes that they will interfere with each other. Once either of these happens the fights are described as Conan grimly fighting on his main goal being to take down as many of his foes as he can before he falls. The end result almost always being him outlasting his foes or something interceding and giving Conan a chance to survive. Also in very non-rage like manner Conan has no problem retreating if he is able to cut himself a path with which to escape.

Exactly. His toughness is more important than his strength or his speed (both of which are waaaaay above average, of course).

He also pre-empts most of the time, instead of waiting to be attacked. But he does so with cold, calculating efficiency.

I don't buy the rage argument.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Exactly. His toughness is more important than his strength or his speed (both of which are waaaaay above average, of course).

He also pre-empts most of the time, instead of waiting to be attacked. But he does so with cold, calculating efficiency.

I don't buy the rage argument.

Another item I think is important is that Arnold from the first Conan movies was a horrible choice, his build did not match Conan as described at all. Conan can climb a sheer cliff with his fingers, he can run for hours easily. Neither of these describe a man with a body builders muscles. The Jason Momoa Conan from the much more recent movie while far from perfect showed someone with a build closer to the Conan as written.